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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. rush — hurry
  3. spring — a coil
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. wound — an injury
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. dip — to sink
  9. saw — the tool
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. spring — of water
  13. mine — for digging
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. shower — to wash
  16. saw — the tool
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. wound — an injury
  22. shower — rain
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. safe — out of danger

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com